Skye islanders are being asked to become dinosaur detectives to help protect vulnerable sites from reckless fossil collectors.
Skye is known as the “dinosaur isle”, a sort of Jurassic park with a rich heritage of fossil sites, particularly from the Jurassic period, between 145million and 200million years ago.
A public meeting in Portree has been held to develop a system for rescuing, recording and safeguarding important fossil’s found on the island’s beaches.
The event, called Skye’s Fossil Heritage, included an expert-led visit to look at fossils and will be used to find ways to boost the local economy and establish a Dinosaur Island Promotion and a Fossil Safeguard Group.
Scotland’s Fossil Code, which was established in 2008, is followed by the majority of people but there are still examples of people damaging these sites by collecting fossils in an irresponsible way.
SNH geologist, Dr Colin MacFadyen, said: “Skye and Raasay have a fantastic fossil heritage, and kids and amateur fossil hunters should be encouraged to collect.
“But at the same time something has to be done about irresponsible collecting and to reduce examples where people for whatever reasons damage fossil localities and important fossils.
“This is where the local community can get involved and help secure their threatened natural heritage. Local action may ensure that rare fossil finds are rescued, recorded and saved for the nation.”
Dr Neil Clark, of the Hunterian Museum, said: “Skye has internationally important fossils including the very rare dinosaur remains which have only been found there since 1982.
“It is important that we look after and properly document these rare and globally significant fossil remains for future generations to study and enjoy.”
Skye and Raasay have a rich geological heritage spanning the last three billion years, and the fossils reflect the evolution of life as well as the journey of the area, as it drifted for hundreds of millions of years across the face of the earth.
The oldest fossils include Cambrian-age trilobites that lived in shallow topical marine conditions around 520 million years ago. This was a time when there was no Atlantic Ocean and North America and Greenland were part of Scotland.